What is is about a Gibson guitar that makes it such an iconic figure in rock and roll and the object of desire of so many guitarists world wide? Part of the allure certainly is the long line of influential players who have brandished a Gibson electric, especially the incredibly popular Les Paul, as their axe of choice. The incredible roster of Gibson players who have become legends in rock n roll includes Les Paul himself, Jimmy Page, Randy Rhondes (played a cream colored custom in addition to his famed V), Ace Freely of KISS, Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Slash, Zakk Wylde, of AC / DC and too many others to list. But despite all of these amazing endorsements by rock royalty, the true motivator for most guitarists who want to own their very own Gibson Les Paul, Gibson SG or Gibson Explorer electric guitar, is the incredible tone that a Gibson has. The slogan “nothing sounds like a Gibson” is more true than most people know.
Catfish playing a Gibson 78 Black Beauty Les Paul
When I worked at Guitar Center here in San Diego, back when it was on El Cajon Blvd and there were 12 stores in the chain (my employee number back then was 1235, think they are up to 6 digit employee numbers now..lol), I played my first ever Les Paul. It was a early 90s Wine Red Studio and I knew as soon as I picked it up, that it was my new guitar. It sounded better than any other guitar I had played up until that point. Of coarse in those days, I had only been playing for 4 or 5 years so my perspective wasn’t what it is today obviously. But for a twenty something rock n roll guy who was looking for a sound to call his own, I knew I had found the first piece to the puzzle. And it was all about the tone.
Gibson guitars are different than most guitars in that they have a solid mahogany body (the wood the guitar is made out of) as opposed to ash or alder which is a lighter, less dense wood and more commonly used on guitars like Fender Stratocasters and Telecasters, ESP guitars, Jacksons, Ibanez, etc. Combine that dense, solid wood with the maple top of a Les Paul and you have something really special. But even the all mahogany Gibson SG has a sound that can’t be emulated by other guitars. The deep bass resonance that these heavier woods give Gibson guitars is a large part of the superior difference in sound quality and tonality that Gibson guitars have over their competition. Granted this is a subjective viewpoint and I am sure that many guitarists who are not Gibson players would disagree with the assessment. However, if you really take the time as I have on many, many occasions to A/B Gibsons against other guitars through professional amplifiers at stage level volumes (let’s face it, everything sounds pretty cool turned up to 2 in the guitar store..lol), you come to appreciate the subtle differences in tone that a Gibson has. Especially if the style of your music necessitates a heavier sound, as mine does. And a lot of that tonal characteristic comes from the quality and density of the wood used to make the instrument.
Part of the tonal characteristic of Gibson guitars that makes them so attractive is that they tend to resonate better than most other guitars which provides the deep sustain that Gibsons are famous for. The ability of Gibson guitars to sound rich and full in both a clean and distorted setting, makes them a versatile attraction to many guitar players. And that the expressive quality that Gibson’s have because of that sustain is unique and what seperates Gibson guitars from other instruments.
Of coarse Gibson guitars are very expensive for that reason and its not uncommon to pay two, three, four thousand dollars or more for an instrument. This of coarse makes it very difficult for many people to own Gibson guitars. Which is another factor in the great allure of Gibson guitars. I would make the analogy that Gibson electric guitars and even some of their acoustic guitars like the J200, are like the Harley Davidson Motorcycles of stringed instruments. There is a certain prestige in owning a Gibson guitar that is certainly part of the overall attraction. And so, Gibson electric and acoustic guitars can be expensive. So today I want to give you some tips on how to buy Gibson guitars that will hopefully save you some money as well as help you make the best investment you can in an instrument that you will love for the rest of your life.
First tip, and this is a weird one considering that we make money when you buy guitars online through our links. But I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t say that the best way to buy a guitar of this kind is to go down to your local guitar store and find one that you think plays well and sounds fantastic. Being able to touch an instrument and bond with a guitar before you buy it is a best case scenario because there is no mystery in what you are buying. However, not everyone lives next to a guitar store that has a good selection of Gibson guitars, a friendly, knowledgeable and reliable staff that will support your purchase, and competitive pricing with national chains. And so for those reasons, many people choose to buy Gibson guitars online.
For those buying their Gibson Les Paul, SG or any other electric or acoustic guitar online, there is some good news. First is, all the stores that we recommend online including MusiciansFriend, SamAsh, Guitar Center, Music Power and others have a generous return policy that allows you to return an instrument no questions asked up to 45 days after purchase. That is a more than sufficient time to make your final buying decision.
Additionally, all of these stores have up to a 45 day price guarantee that protects you in the event that the guitar goes on sale somewhere for a lower price than what you paid for it. Back when I worked in music retail, prices were much more negotiable than they are today. It still pays to have a personal relationship with a guitar store sales guy (if you don’t know this yet you need to figure it out, a $20 tip goes a long way for a starving musician and can end up saving you hundreds over the coarse of time - that’s just a little hint though), but with the national chains like Guitar Center and Sam Ash spending so much on competitive advertising, margins are not what they used to be and most prices for guitars have settled to industry norms. So while haggling with your local guy might save you a hundred bucks, the difference in selection and security that you get online, may make it a more attractive purchasing option, especially in terms of convenience.
When buying a guitar online through one of these stores, always look for the B stock options as well as many supurb guitars have to be sold at a discount because they have relatively small flaws. That bugs some guys but if I can save $1000 and still own a sick Gibson guitar, I usually don’t care about a couple dings or scratches. I care a lot more about the way the guitar makes me sound. And so should you really unless your collecting the thing to be a piece of art. I buy guitars to play em though, not to look cool in my living room. Some guys have a different approach so to each his own. But if your a player that is trying to upgrade your sound, and money is tight, the B stock option can be a good one.
Another good way to save money on Gibsons is to look for that one in the small mom and pop shop that hasen’t moved in a while. I can tell you from personal experience that small shops need to turn over their inventory quicker. They can’t afford to sit on money that isn’t making them money. So if something has been sitting a while, it’s very likely that it will end up being heavily discounted or at least, the potential exists for extended negotiation. The store at some point needs to sell the guitar more than you need to own it. Identifying those situations and capitalizing on them is key to maximizing your guitar budget.
It’s hard to know in the music business when a sale is really a sale since every week is a sale at Guitar Center…lol. But most of the prices with some real exceptions, never really change. And MSRP or manufacturer’s suggested retail price means nothing in music retail. It’s a marketing ploy. Nothing is ever sold at MSRP, ever unless that store doesn’t want return customers…lol. So paying attention to prices a few months in advance of your purchase to get a good feel for the current market, can help you take advantage of true opportunities that do spring up from time to time.
For many people, buying a used guitar is a great way to save money. I bought my Gibson 78 Black Beauty 3 pickup Custom used and it has been my main axe for over 10 years now. I have probably spent about $500 modifying it to my tastes (re fret with jumbo 6100 frets, 3 Seymour Duncan pickups and some better hardware) and I would never consider playing another guitar as my first. So buying used can be very good. However, it is very hard to find a good used Les Paul a lot of times locally. Ebay is probably the best place that I have found to buy used gear online. I have also had some success with Cragislist, but Ebay has more accountability for its sellers with better protection options. Plus it gives you a pretty good idea of the relative value of the used guitar because often times there are multiple sellers of similar guitars.
Whether you buy used or new, the first thing that you should do when you get the guitar is to get it professionally set up to factory or personal specifications. Unless you get the action set, the neck straight and some new strings on that Gibson guitar, you are not really going to know what you have. Additionally, a professional tech will be able to tell you if he or she can detect any major problems with the guitar which is always good information to have before your return policy expires on a multi thousand dollar purchase. Many guitarists I have talked to over the years have never even had their guitar set up before and are even unaware that it can be done. Trust me when I say that it is usually well worth the $40 to have your Gibson guitar playing the way it was intended to. Over the coarse of time, temperature changes, changes in humidity and the natural stretching of strings can cause the neck to shift and take the guitar out of alignment. A profession guitar technician can undo the damage and make a HUGE difference in the way the guitar plays and feels. So be sure to get your Gibson set up immediately after getting it so that you can truly evaluate how much you like your new guitar.
This is our first article on How To Buy Guitars and we hope it provides you with some good advice on purchasing a Gibson electric or acoustic guitar, saving money and making the right long term choice for your music. In future articles, we will break down some of the differences between the various models of Gibson guitars including the Gibson Les Paul Custom, Supreme, Standard, Classic and Studio as well as the Gibson SG, Explorer and various acoustic guitars including the famous Gibson J200 mustache guitar and the Humming Bird. Please let me know what you think of the content so that we can continue to refine our approach and bring you the information that will be most helpful when you decide to buy a Gibson guitar.
Here are the online Gibson guitar stores that we recommend based on our previously stated criteria of a strong money back guarantee with regard to both customer satisfaction and pricing:
MusiciansFriend
Guitar Center
Music Power
Sam Ash
There are also a lot of great small shops out there as well. Here in San Diego, Centre City Music downtown is an excellent Gibson shop as well. If you have local resources, check em out! Just make sure they are competitive with your online options. And if you do buy a Gibson guitar online and use the information on this site, JD, Toad, Doc and I would be very grateful if you would use our affiliate links (the guitar store links on this page or anywhere on our blog) to navigate to your store of your choice. When you do, our band Dive Bomber receives the commission and you help us fund our upcoming CD. So thank you in advance for your support. We hope this is a good resource for people that want to buy Gibson guitars online and we hope you will share your comments with us. Have a great week!
Catfish
Get some lessons. The notion that you are cool because you “taught yourself” to play guitar is completely without merit. Being able to play guitar makes you cool. Finding a good teacher makes you cool quicker.
